Dumbo by SHINYGOODGUY

CINEMA

Dumbo

POSTED BY: SHINYGOODGUY
UPDATED: Friday, April 12, 2019 08:11
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 3315
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Sunday, April 7, 2019 9:38 PM

(I forgot to place a SPOILERS marker here, mainly because I broke my own rule in providing part of the story instead of just an overall description).

I went to see it last week, but I had a strange week and couldn't get a chance to pass on my impressions. So, here it goes...

Dumbo was actually kind of good. Well, me and my date met and it began to rain and the closest indoor warm and cozy place was a movie theater. They were giving Dumbo and Hotel Mumbai. Guess which one we saw (spoilers)...lol.

Like I was saying, Dumbo, a remake by Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands), was pretty good and entertaining. They pretty much followed
the overall story from the cartoon, but with a few human changes. Two siblings, a brother and sister that were a part of the Medici Brothers Circus.
One problem, there's only one Medici brother, Danny De Vito (who was hilarious), throw in their dad returning from WWI (minus an arm) and you have
the typical circus family.

It managed to give the audience, expecting to get a blow-by-blow retelling of
the famed circus elephant, a curve ball to the story....something different.
I liked how they introduced the young kids who lived with their parents as
part of the circus troupe until the father went off to war,and sadly, the
mother passed away (I really don't remember from what), but it did present a
focus on something other than the baby elephant. It actually was a good idea,
especially when you think that this movie was meant for children and their
family. It set the tone for the movie, but then Dumbo came in and took over the movie.

Yes, it was CGI, but you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. It was
that flawless in it's presentation. Seamless to a fault. This is the second movie I've seen this year that had absolutely seamless CGI (the other was
Alita Battle Angel). The CGI was everything you could hope for. It gave the movie it's rich, colorful tone and added to the circus atmosphere. But what made the movie fun and emotional was Dumbo himself. He, the baby elephant, was
the hero of the movie. Somehow Burton and company wrote a script that had Dumbo saving the day. It played like an old-fashioned villain causes trouble
and hero saves the day. In this case, it was Dumbo. Just like an old-fashioned Disney movie straight from the 60s. Believe it or not, that was part of it's charm. An old fashioned rhythm and timing that, for me, was a welcome change to all the gloom and doom of movies today.

So yeah, I liked it. Take the family, even young 'uns from 5 years old and up.
All are welcome and all will have a good time. Just like old times.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

SGG

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Monday, April 8, 2019 8:05 AM

MOOSE

So, it’s a CGI crapfest? I’d much rather they had used an actual flying elephant. Pass.

My stepdaughter brought the grandkid to watch it, they loved it. Wifey and I will probably catch it when the disc comes out.

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Tuesday, April 9, 2019 12:41 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

The CGI was barely noticeable, the advancements that have been made in recent years (since Avatar) are quite realistic-looking.

You call it a "crapfest"...well, to each his own.

By the way, "real flying elephant" very funny!

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by Moose:
So, it’s a CGI crapfest? I’d much rather they had used an actual flying elephant. Pass.

My stepdaughter brought the grandkid to watch it, they loved it. Wifey and I will probably catch it when the disc comes out.

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Tuesday, April 9, 2019 7:12 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

CGFX aside, i think the story itself is dated. Circuses and circus animals in particular just don't register with kids of today. Between PETA & Fortnite , what kid is going to see this as something worthwhile?

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Tuesday, April 9, 2019 7:57 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

I couldn't sit through Dumbo as a kid in the 80's, and after I was 5 the circus was unbearably boring. That was long before 7th and 8th and 9th generation video game consoles, the internet, smartphones, youtube, super hero movies, etc. I think this movie was made for old people.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, April 9, 2019 8:52 PM

MOOSE

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
The CGI was barely noticeable, the advancements that have been made in recent years (since Avatar) are quite realistic-looking.

You call it a "crapfest"...well, to each his own.

lol I was just kidding with that comment, hence the “” and the “real flying elephant” comment.

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019 8:38 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Quote:
Originally posted by Moose:
Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
The CGI was barely noticeable, the advancements that have been made in recent years (since Avatar) are quite realistic-looking.

You call it a "crapfest"...well, to each his own.

lol I was just kidding with that comment, hence the “” and the “real flying elephant” comment.

I didn't notice the real flying elephant comment until SGG pointed it out.

Had to admit, that made me giggle.

Well done.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019 9:38 AM

MOOSE

For the record, I think that CGI is incredible nowadays. It's at the point where I only notice it because it's something that's impossible, such as a flying elephant. And look at The Lion King trailer.

Wow.

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019 10:12 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

Oh I got it Moose...my comment was not meant to be critical.
I really did like the "real flying elephant" line...lol

I liked the "old fashioned" feel to this movie. I got the feeling it was trying hard to take "us" back to a "golden" time in cinema.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by Moose:
Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
The CGI was barely noticeable, the advancements that have been made in recent years (since Avatar) are quite realistic-looking.

You call it a "crapfest"...well, to each his own.

lol I was just kidding with that comment, hence the “” and the “real flying elephant” comment.

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019 10:26 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

I agree Moose. I first noticed in Avatar, followed up by Life of Pi (the tiger was so "real" in that movie)...fantastic!

It seems to me that cinema delivers art in various packages, and make no mistake it is art, and should be accepted as such. Movies ultimately tell a story, but I do understand that it takes some doing to surrender ourselves
to it, especially when comparing it to everyday norms.

My favorite stories are usually those exploring the universe, or sci-fi.
These movies, with amazing CGI, will become more acceptable as time moves on.
But, I dare say, it will be the norm for kids and teens much more quickly.
Alita: Battle Angel is the most recent example.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by Moose:
For the record, I think that CGI is incredible nowadays. It's at the point where I only notice it because it's something that's impossible, such as a flying elephant. And look at The Lion King trailer.

Wow.

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019 10:37 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

Most people who were in the theater that day were kids and parents. In between were adults taking a trip back to their childhood (both me and my date remember Dumbo from when we were kids).

Oscar material it is not, but entertaining...Yes.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:

CGFX aside, i think the story itself is dated. Circuses and circus animals in particular just don't register with kids of today. Between PETA & Fortnite , what kid is going to see this as something worthwhile?

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019 11:21 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

No doubt there is much competition for "our" attention, but this film was
harkening to a simpler time; which to me gives it a vibe all it's own. The audience I saw it with seemed to enjoy the film as the credits rolled.
Compared to today's pace, it could have gone either way...but was mildly
appreciated, which, by today's standards is a resounding success.

No one walked out during the movie. I remember walking out of a Jack Nicholson
movie many moons ago (in the 70s) The Passenger, a poor-man's Last Tango. Much throughout the film you are left to fend for yourself and are asked to fill in the blanks. The director, Michaelangelo Antonioni, was known back then as a cinematic genius. But I had no patience, I couldn't see his vision. Hence, I left.

The video game of the day was called "Pong" (1972) - a ping pong video game.
The movies of the 70s were considered by many, true mainstream masterful storytelling - for example "5 Easy Pieces" "M.A.S.H." "The Last Picture Show"
"The French Connection" "Klute" "Last Tango in Paris" "Willy Wonka" "Serpico"
"Network" "Patton" and the "Godfather" trilogy, just to name a few.

Of course there are hundreds more between 1970 and 1979, which some consider Hollywood's second Golden Era. Yes, some may consider Dumbo's story somewhat
boring...much like young people today consider movies from the 80s absolute trash. Disney, it's my guess, is trying to reinvent their classic movies vault
to further cash in one last time.

But every once in a while Hollywood allows a genius to break the wheel.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I couldn't sit through Dumbo as a kid in the 80's, and after I was 5 the circus was unbearably boring. That was long before 7th and 8th and 9th generation video game consoles, the internet, smartphones, youtube, super hero movies, etc. I think this movie was made for old people.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Friday, April 12, 2019 8:11 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Yeah. I don't mean to say that it's crap. It's just not for me.

I just could never get into Dumbo when I was a kid. I was probably already 10 when I watched it. I don't remember if I ever even finished it or if I found something more interesting to do. There were plenty of cartoons that my bros and I watched and re-watched, but I know I never watched it a second time if I actually sat through the whole thing. I honestly don't remember a single thing about it outside of the titular character.

I wouldn't imagine that Disney is trying to cash in "one last time". They currently own the copyrights to about half of the entertainment that mankind ever made that isn't already in the public domain, and they fight tooth and nail to maintain copyrights even when they should have expired and been given to the public. And our dipshit politicians and judges are more than happy to give that to them in return for big sacks of cash.

They're going to re-hash all of their stuff over and over again until the sun burns out.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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